Thursday Night Standouts

<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The beauty of South Dakota sports is that it keeps you on your toes. While this Thursday had a nice slate with a few good match-ups across all 3 classes, Mother Nature intervened and caused plenty of postponements. Thankfully I was able to catch a few games that weren’t affected and here is who stood out.</span></p> <p><strong>Platte v.s Mount Vernon Plankinton</strong></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="757853" first="Kelby" last="VanDerWerff"]</strong> - The 6’5 Sr. stood out as the Platte Black Panthers took down Mount Vernon Plankinton. This should not come as a shock to many as Kelby is ranked in the top 20 in our ’21 rankings. He netted 14 points and pulled down 17 boards. He has a great frame and a strong base that helped him dominate the paint. He can also hit an open 3 if left open. Dangerous player and will be key for the Black Panthers.</span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="968191" first="Caden" last="Foxley"]</strong> - The 6’4 Jr. put in 17 and pulled down 9 boards in the winning effort. Finished well when he got it in the post. The size combo of VanDerWerff and Foxley is going to be a problem in Class B. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="963774" first="Reed" last="Rus"]</strong> - Reed is a Sophomore to watch. He is averaging almost 20 points a game this year and is the one that makes MVP go. Very smooth with the ball in his hand and was able to get to the paint multiple times. Pretty impressive vision and a willing passer. He also grabbed 8 boards.</span></p> <p><strong>St. Thomas Moore v.s. Custer</strong></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">I was excited to watch STM play for the first time this year and they didn’t disappoint out of the gate. They closed out the first quarter up 24-0 and never really let up ending with a 50-27 win for the Cavs. Here is who stood out.</span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="963754" first="Caleb" last="Hollenbeck"]</strong> - Much like [player_tooltip player_id="963774" first="Reed" last="Rus"], Hollenbeck is a Sophomore to watch. He looked very poised with the ball in his hand. Plays tough on-ball defense without fouling. Had 16 points while hitting four 3’s. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong>Ryan Wojick</strong> - He led the team in scoring with 17. He is a phenomenal athlete and is looking to follow up his All-state football performance. Was always rebounding hard and running the floor. Built like a football player but still very athletic and fluid on the floor. </span></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="975528" first="Jace" last="Kelley"]</strong> - Even with a tough outing for his Wildcats, Kelley still stood out as a player to keep an eye on. He lead the team with 13 but what stood out was even in a route he never quit playing hard. Very nice lefty shooter and had exceptional handles.  </span></p>